When an animal is slaughtered to be used for food, the meat is likely at the highest temperature it will achieve until it is cooked as part of a food preparation process. Processing of the animal immediately after slaughter is termed hot-bone processing and the meat is known generally as hot-boned meat. As the meat cools, two relatively uncontrolled processes occur as a result of the contraction, that is to say, shortening of muscle fiber during cooling. The first process involves the toughening of the meat that comes with the shortening of the fibers. The second process involves the irregular shaping that may result from such shortening of fibers. If there is no restraint on the shape the meat can take during cooling, the contraction may result in irregular and unfamiliar shapes of the meat and therefore of the cuts that result when the meat is subsequently packaged for selling or serving.
The contraction of muscle fibers and the meat proceed as the temperature of the meat decreases. The contraction is in direct proportion to the temperature decrease. The control of the temperature of cooling thus provides one way to control the toughening and the shaping of the meat during cooling. For example, the rate of cooling may be slowed down in order to provide for more uniform shrinkage of the fibers of the meat. This allows some degree of control over contraction and shrinkage of the meat which may lead to cuts of meat that are more tender and regular in shape. However, a greater degree of control over the contraction of muscle fiber during cooling may improve the tenderness and ability to shape the meat during the cooling process.
Unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.